The Government has ignored the recommendations of its own planning inspectorate and widespread opposition from locals to drive through the UK’s biggest solar farm projects so far.

Just days into his tenure as Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband gave the green light to the UK’s two biggest solar farms, declaring that “solar power is crucial to achieving net zero”.

“Some of these cases had been held up for months before I arrived in the department. They were put on my desk on Monday and I’ve made a decision in three days,” he said.

The new projects, which would power 400,000 homes in total, have been taken as the clearest sign yet that the government intends to drive through dozens of solar and onshore wind farms in the next few years, in many cases against stiff opposition from locals.

The biggest of the new solar farms, near the village of Gate Burton in Lincolnshire, would be the largest in the UK by some way – producing eight times as much electricity as the biggest one currently in operation, which is in Llanwern, Wales.

That solar farm met with widespread opposition – but advocates point out that it was recommended by the Planning Inspectorate.

By contrast, the second biggest of the new solar farms – the 10 square kilometre Sunnica development on the border of Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, supplying 100,000 homes – was opposed by the inspectorate.

Opponents say it takes some of the most productive land in the UK out of use while ignoring alternative sites such as south-facing commercial roof space.

Meanwhile, the planning inspectorate objects to what will be the UK’s second largest wind farm on the basis that it would cause “widespread and significant effects upon landscape character and visual amenity”, the inspectorate argued in a 339 page report based on extensive research.

The inspectorate concluded that the Sunnica site – situated near Newmarket Racecourse – could have “adverse impacts on the horse racing industry that could cause harm to the economy locally and beyond”, while the “glint and glare” of the solar panels could affect motorists, horse riders and others.

Nick Wright, a vegetable farmer near Chippenham Village in Cambridgeshire which is close to the solar farm, is one of many local people strongly opposed to the project.

“This wasn’t five angry old men like me standing on the railings waving and making a lot of noise. It was a whole community, a whole list of regional government officials all saying ‘this is not good’. And yet bang, three days in, we get a thing and it’s really ‘well good luck lads, this is what it’s gonna be like'”, he told i.

“It will industrialise this whole area and the views at the horse racing will be badly affected. There are extraordinary views over to Ely Cathedral from the ‘gallops’ – now they’ll be staring into a solar field.”

“We are not a bunch of Nimbys, we’re just saying it should be ‘good solar’- on rooftops and brownfield sites – not ‘bad solar’, like this project. Every acre of the Sunnica site is irrigated vegetable growing land. If you approve something like this how are you ever going to stop these other huge solar schemes going through on good farmland? There has to be a balance,” he said.

Dr Catherine Judkins, Chair of the community group, Say No to Sunnica, added: “We are devastated at this surprise decision by the new government that has gone completely against the recommendations of the examiners appointed by the Planning Inspectorate who rigorously examined the scheme over a 6-month period.

“These qualified, professional and impartial examiners visited the sites, scrutinised thousands of pages of detailed evidence and they listened to views from all parties at public hearings.

“They concluded that the perceived benefits did not outweigh the very many harms and it should not be approved. And yet this informed, expert recommendation has been overridden just a week after the new government came in.”

Experts not connected to the projects say these decisions show the government is prepared to override widespread objections to push through new solar farm developments.

“The fact that Labour has driven Sunnica through so quickly, after delays under the previous government – and in the face of considerable opposition – shows just how determined it is to accelerate clean energy production,” Ed Griffiths, head of business & client analytics at Barbour ABI, a key provider of construction data to the Office for National Statistics and the government, told i.

“Taken together with the other two new projects it has just waved through, this shows the government really means business,” he added.

Mr Miliband has also waved through a new solar farm at Mallard’s Pass, again in Lincolnshire. This would also be one of the biggest in the UK and was strongly opposed – although the inspectorate did recommend that it went ahead.

Meanwhile, a series of other similarly large solar farms are awaiting final approval – including the Cottam Solar Project on the border of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, which would be even bigger than the ones just approved.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero ESNZ said it could not comment directly on the decision because it is a live planning case.

However, it pointed i to the letter sent to Sunnica, confirming its consent.

“The Secretary of State has considered the overall planning balance and … has concluded that the public benefits for the Proposed Development outweigh the harm identified, and that development consent should therefore be granted for the Proposed Development from the government.”

A Sunnica spokesperson said: “Sunnica would make a nationally significant contribution towards the UK’s legal obligation to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and its ongoing energy security”.

“This important milestone and the decision by the Secretary of State has come after many months of intense scrutiny and robust engagement with the planning process, and wider public consultations”.